Thankful: Cultivate a Thankful Heart

While God loves a cheerful giver He also loves a grateful receiver.  And seriously, what do we have that we have not received?  Every moment we depend upon Him and everything we have comes from His loving Hand.  To Him we owe all.  Indeed, the very air we breathe is a gift from the Creator (not to mention our lungs!).  In the verse for today, the Spirit of God teaches the souls of men the lesson of having a thankful heart.  It is genuinely quite a beautiful sight to see a heart filled with thanksgiving.  It demonstrates a nobleness of soul as well as a true mark of grace, particularly if the circumstances are not of our choosing.

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It is quite easy to be thankful, is it not, when there is money in the bank, health in the bones and food in the refrigerator.  But take away our comforts, well that’s another story.  When one can be thankful in plenty or in want it is a sure sign of the Spirit within.  Take Paul for instance in his joy letter to the Philippians.  Writing from jail, the Apostle is over and over again thankful – not in His circumstances rather in the outcome of them.  He had the wisdom and maturity to see God working in and through him even from a jail cell and for that he was thankful.  Certainly that encouraged him to pen Romans 8:28:    28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV).  Believers can be grateful for whatever God allows in their lives because it will be used for their unmingled good - be it ever so difficult – knowing He is conforming His children into the image of His Son – whatever that takes.